“I felt like we were legitimate contenders when we broke camp, and I don’t think that was over-evaluating,” the manager said. “I talked to people, opposing managers, people within the game. They saw us early on and said, ‘Hey, man, you guys are good.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I think we are too.’ “

At the end of April, the Rockies were 16-13. By the end of May, they were 28-27. By the end of July, they were 44-64 and had the worst record in the National League.

How did it go so bad?

Injuries, especially to starting pitchers, are a major factor. Colorado has used 14 starting pitchers this year, the most in the major leagues. But Weiss understands the team can’t lean on injuries as an excuse. Fans are tired of excuses after consecutive last-place finishes in the NL West.

“We haven’t earned the benefit of the doubt, and I understand that,” he said.

But it’s more than an avalanche of injuries that has led to the downward spiral. The club also has failed miserably to execute the game plan Weiss laid out in the spring.

One of Colorado’s “absolutes” was for its pitchers to throw pitches low in the strike zone to induce groundball outs. The results have been mixed.

While the Rockies’ groundball-to-flyball ratio of 1.27 entering Friday ranked third in the National League, their pitchers had allowed 122 home runs — most in the major leagues, including 55 on the road.

Weiss’ blueprint also called for an airtight defense. Instead, Colorado has played sloppy defese, its .983 fielding percentage ranking only 12th in the National League. The sabermetric “defensive efficiency ratio” ranks the Rockies 13th in the NL, ahead of only Miami and Arizona.

“Defensively, we’ve struggled at times,” Weiss said. “Coming into the season, I felt our defense was maybe our strongest asset. I still think that way. But with the defense, there’s been some guys out of position and that type of thing.”

“(Injuries) have been a big factor,” Weiss said. “I still feel good about our defense, although statistically we haven’t played as well. … When we’re at full strength, I think we’re one of the best defensive clubs in all of the game.”

Statistics might suggest the Rockies are an offensive juggernaut. For example, their .279 team batting average tops the majors by 20 percentage points. Their 123 home runs are the most in the National League. But those numbers are skewed by a huge gap in home-road performance. Colorado’s .240 road batting average ranks 11th in the NL, and the Rockies have averaged just 3.6 runs per road game. In the National League, only San Diego has been worse (3.02).

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tyreek Hill didn’t know what to do when he started hearing thousands of people in Arrowhead Stadium chanting his name, even as he stood all alone on the frozen turf waiting for the punt.